Little Lost Boy
by Arsaem
Summary: He had been looking for a criminal. Not a little boy. What was he doing on an island all by himself in the first place anyway? Whatever the case, Roy knew it was going to be a long day.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is three chapters long and already completed. I just need to edit the other two, but they're all written out. I'll post the second one in a few days.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Roy was sick and tired of hunting this guy down. He was a rogue alchemist, quite powerful and stirring up heaps of trouble, and the young Colonel had chased the man all the way from Central to Dublith. Charles Shultz was his name, a man who had joined the military as a State Alchemist in the Ishbal war, before deserting and then eventually popping up again to cause trouble all over Central. And Roy had been fitted with the unfortunate task to bring him in.

Dublith was far more rural than Central, with dusty streets and kids that ran around barefoot -he doubted there was even a school around here. Most of the citizens treated him with a cold tolerance; it was clear that the majority of the people here disliked the military and all of its factions. But what the people thought of him didn't matter. Roy had a job to do, a job that would probably lead him into the next city anyway.

"Have you seen this man?" Roy asked for the umpteenth time, holding up the photo but only to receive a rude negative in response. He sighed.

"I doubt he's still in the city," Hawkeye spoke up. She had been at his side during the entire operation, never once voicing a complaint about how this was all one massive wild-goose chase.

"Hm," Roy muttered in reply. All the trains were under intense security, and all other roads were guarded as well. Shultz would be hard pressed to get a ride out of here. Which meant either he was doing an excellent job at hiding, or he really was somewhere outside the city. Maybe he found some other way to get to the next town, or perhaps he was simply hiding out in the forest for a few days. That was when Roy received a tip that smoke had been spotted rising from a tiny island in the middle of a lake, a mile or so outside the city. York Island, it was called (why they bothered naming something so small was beyond him) and the informant had been a fisherman who often worked in the area. Of course, the man hadn't bothered with letting any authorities know that he had seen smoke coming from an uninhabited island. "Not my business," he grunted in reply. "But I'll take you out there, for a pretty coin." Roy thanked him and set for the island immediately.

Roy slipped on his ignition gloves as they pulled ashore, careful to not get them wet as he stepped out. "Lieutenant, check around the perimeter," he said to Hawkeye. "Look for his boat, or any sign that he's already gone."

"Yes sir," Hawkeye replied, pulling her gun from her holster and setting out towards the left. It was probably only a mile across, two all the way around, and it wouldn't take her long to finish her inspection.

"Stay here," Roy ordered the fisherman, who shrugged and pulled out a pipe. Flexing his fingers, he headed for the treeline.

It was a pretty stupid move, setting himself up on an island. Roy wondered what Shultz ploy was as he slowly scanned the trees. Something alchemy related? Roy's thoughts briefly flashed to Hawkeye, and he hoped she was alright. She was an excellent fighter, and the sharpest shot in probably all of Amestris. But Shultz was quite creative with his alchemy, and there was only so much a bullet could do against the powerful science.

Roy pulled out his gun, hoping that it would be sufficient and he wouldn't need his gloves (though he did keep them on, just in case). He really didn't want to set the whole island ablaze, but he would if he had to. He hoped Shultz hadn't slipped away already, halfway to the next city over and leaving Roy in the dust. He was really going to enjoy throwing this guy in a cell.

There was a rustle, and Roy whirled around, gun cocked, just in time to see a small boy leap from the foliage, a sharpened stick extended. He looked ready to impale a rabbit that scurried underfoot, when suddenly he noticed the stranger before him and dropped his make-shift weapon in surprise. Unfortunately, Roy had his gun raised, expecting an attack, and despite lowering it, the boy looked absolutely terrified. What in the name of-

"I'm sorry!" the boy quickly squealed, holding up his hands and backing up. He eyed the gun warily and said, "Please don't hurt me!"

Quickly, Roy put the gun away, and went to kneel in front of the little boy. "It's okay," he said, "I won't hurt you. You just startled me." The boy stopped edging backwards, but there was still fear evident in his golden eyes. "How did you get here?" Roy asked. Only years of military training kept him so straightforward in such a bizarre situation. "Where are you parents?" Maybe he's on a camping trip? "Is anyone else on the island with you?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head. "N-no! It's just me." He still looked terrified, as if he was still expecting Roy to do something to him. Not only that, but a closer inspection showed a vague savagery about him. His clothes were dirty and ratted, hair greasy and face all scratched up and bruised. He was missing a shoe, and half of his shirt had been replaced by a large leaf.

Doing his best to put on a friendly smile (Roy was _so_ not good with kids) he said, "Hey, don't worry now. I'll get you back to your parents. I'm Colonel Mustang. What's your name?"

"E-Edward," he answered. "And...I don't have any parents."

"Oh…" How the hell did this kid get here? "Do you have a guardian?" he asked next. At Edward's confused look, he said, "Who takes care of you?"

"Well, Granny Pinako usually, but that was back in Resembool."

"Did you run away?" This seemed like the most logical explanation, since Resembool was a ways away, except that still didn't explain how he ended up on the island.

Edward shook his head. "No, she knows I'm here." There wasn't any resentment in the boy's eyes, but that didn't mean anything. His grandmother knowingly knew he was on an uninhabited island by himself and didn't care? Looks like Roy's job just got a little more complicated. "Am I in trouble?" Edward asked when he saw the look on his face.

"No, no, you're not in trouble," Roy assured him. "You don't have to worry anymore. I'll get you out of here." Edward looked confused as Mustang stood, removing his gloves and replacing them in his pocket. "Come on, I have a boat waiting," he said, and turned to go, but Edward didn't move.

"I can't leave yet," he said. "Sensei will come get u- me in a few days. I'm almost done."

"You can't stay here all by yourself," Roy told, not quite sure what the boy was talking about, or why he would ever want to stay here. Again, he wondered how he even got here. "Come on," he prodded as gently as he could, reaching out to grasp Edward's hand. He began pulling him towards the beach, the boy offering minimal resistance. He looked like he was afraid to make Roy angry, but also equally afraid of leaving.

"Wait!" he cried. "I have to stay here!" Roy really had no idea what was wrong with this boy, but there was no way he was just going to leave a little kid out and alone. He looked like he was barely eight, for heaven's sake.

Edward kept making similar exclamations, his tugging becoming more insistent. Roy tried to reason with him once more before giving up when the child suddenly became dead weight. With an annoyed sigh, Roy hauled him up, throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him the rest of the way back. Edward kicked a few times until he held his legs down, and then he simply clung to his military jacket, struggling to push himself up but not quite managing.

When they finally came out onto the beach, Hawkeye had just finished her rounds, gun back in her holster, a salute ready and mouth open to report when she noticed the squirming child on Roy's shoulder. The Colonel set him down once they reached the boat, and Edward made a dash for it. He made it approximately three steps before Roy's hand shot out and caught him by the arm.

"Uh, sir…" Hawkeye trailed off, confusion and vague amusement in her eyes (she'll probably never let the whole carrying bit go).

"I found the source of our smoke," Roy sighed in explanation. The fisherman cocked an amused eyebrow at the boy, but said nothing, simply continued to huff on his pipe. "Let's get out of here, Lieutenant," he said, and refrained from adding _This was a waste of time._ In finding Shultz, it certainly was, but at the very least, a little boy wasn't stuck on an island all by himself anymore. Even if he was a bit of a hassle. He didn't know that fearful eyes watched from the brush as Roy lifted Edward into the boat, that another little boy broke down into tears as they began rowing away. Alphonse was all alone.

-0-

Edward kept looking back nervously at the island, looking like he had half a mind to jump out and swim back. Roy wondered what actually happened to the kid, but he didn't look up to talking very much. Hawkeye was, of course, still completely confused, while the fisherman seemed completely unperturbed by Roy's strange find. Eventually, Hawkeye spoke up, Roy's brief explanation obviously not satisfying.

"Hello," Hawkeye started, giving Edward a warm smile. "My name is Lieutenant Hawkeye. But you can just call me Riza. Can I know your name?"

"Edward," he mumbled in reply. "But...you can just call me Ed."

"Alright then Ed. Can you tell me why you were on that island?"

The boy twisted his fingers nervously, and looked back at the slowly shrinking trees. "I need to go back," he replied stubbornly.

Hawkeye raised a confused eyebrow to Roy, who only shrugged in response. _Parents?_ she mouthed, and he shook his head. Lips pursed, her turned her attention back to Ed. "Why do you need to go back?" she asked him gently.

"Because...it's a test," he answered. "Sensei said that if w- I survived on the island for a month and solved her riddle, then she'd teach me alchemy."

Alchemy? Roy knew that some masters had...interesting techniques when it came to teaching, but to do so with a tiny, helpless kid? Roy understood the merits in the "punch 'em till they punch back" type of learning, but what did surviving an island for a month have anything to do with alchemy? Maybe the intent was for Ed to use alchemy to help him survive, except that would more be a 'final test' type of exercise, rather than the admissions exam. Besides, there's no way a kid this young who hasn't even begun his 'real' training could know and have the skill to perform such kinds of transmutations. Roy began to suspect that this 'Sensei' of Ed's might be a bit senile.

"So, you're... _sensei_ left you there," Hawkeye summed up, a frown on her face.

Ed nodded. "And you have to take me back!"

"We can't take you back, Ed," she told him firmly. Roy could almost imagine all the protocols they would be breaking, the lawsuit they could face for purposefully putting a child back in danger.

"Then can you take me back to Sensei?" he asked instead. Oh, yes. Take him _back_ to the crazy lady who left a little child by himself on an uninhabited island for a month. Did nobody care about these things in Dublith?

"We're going to take you to the military headquarters here," Roy told him. "You can stay there until Lieutenant Hawkeye and I finish up here, and then we'll take you back to Central. You'll get taken care of there."

"Oh," Ed muttered glumly. His shoulders slumped and he stared back at the island for the rest of the trip.

Hawkeye scooted closer to Roy and whispered, "Central, sir?"

He nodded. "Considering what Edward told us, I don't quite trust the social services here. He said he came all the way from Resembool."

"Ah...should we do something about his sensei?"

"Hm…" Roy glanced back at Ed, who was still staring off into the distance. "Maybe just keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't terrorize any more children." Hawkeye nodded and he turned around, calling, "Edward. What's your sensei's name?"

The boy looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"We just want to make sure everything turns out okay," Roy told him. Not a lie. Not really.

Ed crossed his arms and glared at him. "You think it was bad, that Sensei left me on the island. But I think I get it now. It has to do with her riddle." He mentioned a riddle earlier. Roy had no idea what he meant, but it was clear that they'd get no further with him.

"Or, we could just ignore the sensei and hope for the best," Roy murmured with a sigh, running a hand over his face. If he really wanted to, he supposed he could find the sensei. Eventually. But it really wasn't worth the time or resources. They still had a certain rogue alchemist to catch, after all.

-0-

Roy could see most of the bar from his position in the alley, but Shultz kept moving in and out of his view. Whatever was going on in there, he really wasn't sure. The alchemist was probably trying to bribe his way out of the city or find himself a hideout until things blow over. He didn't know the military had found him yet. That was good.

Their informant had been a young woman, a real sleazy looking girl who had a constant glare in her hardened eyes and a demand for a reward on her lips. Roy told her she'd get her reward if the tip proved true. She hadn't liked that very much.

A single from Hawkeye up on the roof told Roy that everyone was in position. The bar was surrounded, and Shultz had nowhere to run. With a nod, Roy slowly moved from his crouched position, ignition gloves on and gun ready. With civilians close by, this had to be handled very...delicately.

Roy inched closer as the undercover officer slipped inside the bar. She was pretty good, sidling right up to Shultz and acting like she came to sketchy places like this all the time (who knows, maybe she did). Roy edged to the door of the bar, another officer beside him and more ready at the back. The one inside tapped two fingers with her thumb in between against the back of her thigh; that was the signal. In the next moment, she had pulled her gun on Shultz and Roy burst into the room, his backup right behind him and several others pouring in from the back. A man ducked dived under a table and a woman in a red dress screamed. Roy barely had time to lift his gun when the transmutation circle on Shultz's hand lit up with energy. And suddenly half the bar had been blown apart.

Roy had to duck for cover, and by the time he was up again, Shultz had grabbed the woman in the red dress and was holding a gun to her head. "Back off!" he warned. "I swear to god, back off or she's dead!"

Nobody lowered their guns, but nobody moved closer either. Roy glared at the man. "There's nowhere for you to run, Shultz," he called to him. "Just come quietly, and no one has to get hurt."

Shultz seemed to notice him for the first time. He whirled on him with an angry snarl, pressing against the counter. "Colonel Mustang!" He spitted out the title with unconcealed rage. "You murderer! I won't go back! You're a fool! Don't you see? I won't go back!" There was something like a wild fear in his eyes, and Roy had to wonder if the man finally went insane. "What happened in Ishbal...you murderer!"

"It was war, Shultz!" Roy shouted back, angry. He shouldn't let his words get to him. But it was getting late. He was exhausted. He had been chasing this guy for nearly three weeks. He just wanted to end this already and go to bed.

Forcing a calming breath, Roy lowered his gun a fraction of an inch and scooted just as much forward. Shultz pressed the gun closer to the woman's head, who was openly sobbing now. "Not another step!" he warned, but then his voice changed again. "It's all going to hell! You're a fool, Colonel Mustang! Die!" In an instant, the gun had moved from the woman to Roy with his finger about to pull the trigger, and suddenly a shot rang out...and Shultz fell to the ground, blood pouring from the hole in his head. Up on the rooftop, Hawkeye removed her rifle from its position and pulled the strap over her head, letting it to rest comfortably against her back.

Well...that settled that then.

-0-

It was very late by the time everything was cleared up and taken care of, and Roy was finally able to return back to military headquarters for some much needed rest. Hawkeye was a silent companion by his side, never mentioning what happened earlier. She did, however, flash him a brief, rueful smile, and a sigh that told him everything he needed to know. She got it. She understood. She fought in Ishbal just like him. Roy nodded to her in return.

They were halfway to the military dorms when a young private who looked vaguely familiar ran up to him, a panicked look on his face. Roy remembered him after a moment. He was the one he put in charge of watching Ed.

"Sir!" the private greeted quickly with a salute. "V-very sorry sir, but that boy you brought in disappeared!" He looked terrified to find out what Roy would do to him, arm held up in a perfect salute and eyes staring straight ahead.

It took Roy about five seconds to comprehend what the young man was saying. And then his eyes widened in alarm and anger. "What?!" he demanded. "How did you manage to lose an eight year old boy?!"

"I-I took him to he bathroom," the private stuttered, his salute slackening a bit. "But then he was taking a long time and when I checked there was a hole in the wall and a transmutation circle and-"

"A transmutation circle?" The kid mentioned once or twice (or about a million times) that he needed to get back to his sensei so he could learn alchemy. But this kid wasn't supposed to be trained yet! And besides, breaking out of military headquarters isn't exactly an easy task in the first place! It must be Dublith...

"I've been looking for him everywhere, but I have no idea where he went and I'm really sorry sir, I-"

Roy held up a hand to stop the blubbering private. It was really late, and Dublith was no place for a kid to be wandering around at night by himself. Wearily, turned to Hawkeye and said, "Lieutenant-"

"On it sir," she told him, whirling around to begin her search.

"What was your name again?" Roy asked the private, with a scowl. He needed to make it clear that this would not go unchecked. Really, how hard is it to keep track of one, tiny boy?

"Ch-Cheyins, sir," the private gulped. "Daniel Cheyins."

Roy nodded and heaved a disgruntled sigh. "As you were," he grumbled, before turning around to also look for Ed. Hawkeye would need some help, and he was the only other person who knew who they were looking for. Besides the private, of course, but he was clearly too incompetent to aid in the search.

First, Roy observed the hole that Ed made, and couldn't help but be impressed by the kid's skill. His transmutation circle, drawn with a pen he must've found laying around, was perfect. The hole itself had very few transmutation marks, so few that if it weren't for the circle on the ground, Roy might've wondered if he somehow cut his way through. With this skill, Ed probably could've transmuted himself a boat to get himself off the island. If, of course, he hadn't been so obsessed with passing his sensei's 'test.'

Looking through the hole, Roy wondered where Ed might've run. There were no visible footprints in the grass, but he could guess that he'd head straight for the buildings, in order to hide himself. Roy started there, walking across the street and slipping in between houses and shops, eyeing every alleyway in search for the missing boy.

It took him nearly half an hour to discover the huddled, shivering figure huddled next to a crate. "Edward!" Roy called out once he spotted him, which was a bit of a bad idea in hindsight. Immediately, the boy leapt up and raced in the other direction, leaving a very grumpy Roy to chase after him. Eventually, he came out onto the main street, with Ed nowhere in sight.

An old woman sat out on her porch, rocking away in her chair as she sipped what looked suspiciously like a whiskey. Stifling a yawn, Mustang approached her and asked, as politely as he could, "Excuse me ma'am, but have you seen a boy around here? Blond hair, really small-"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU COULDN'T FIND HIM WITH A TELESCOPE?!"

Roy frowned at her porch and said, "Nevermind. If you'll excuse me…" He went and looked under the porch, where he found a little figure curled up on himself, glaring at him. "So, you don't like being called short?" Roy asked, only vaguely amused. He was much too tired for this.

"I'm not short," Ed grumbled as Roy pulled him out. He kept a firm hand on his shoulder, to make sure he didn't run off again.

"Sorry kid," the woman said, sipping her drink. "Maybe you shouldn't yell when you're trying to hide from someone."

"Thanks anyway," he muttered.

"Come on, Edward," Roy told him, gently tugging at his shoulder and leading him away. He'd need to somehow let Hawkeye know she found him. But first, he had a kid to chew out.

"What do you think you were doing?" Roy demanded once they were out of earshot of the old woman.

"I need to get back to Sensei," Ed replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Your 'sensei' left you on an uninhabited island by yourself," Roy reminded him. "Did you even know how to find her?"

Ed looked down. "I'd find her eventually. Hopefully, she'll still teach me alchemy." Roy held back a sigh.

There a few moments of tense silence when Ed asked, "Am I in trouble?"

Roy looked down at him, to see that his bottom lip was trembling. Damn. He must practice that look in front of a mirror or something. "No, you're not in trouble," Roy told him, just get that horribly adorable look off his face. "You just had me worried. And you shouldn't run off on your own."

Edward nodded, looking down. Roy heaved a sigh and brought up a hand to rub his face, hoping Ed wouldn't run off this time. Instead, however, he did something even more alarming. He reached up and grabbed his hand. Roy was so startled he nearly pulled away, but managed to stop himself in time. Hopefully, it was late enough that nobody would see when he got back to headquarters.

By some stroke of luck, Roy spotted Hawkeye checking an alley and called her over. Ed was yawning widely at this point, and his shoulders were slumped. He still gripped Roy's hand, but he was now almost using it for support. Hawkeye noticed the scene and very wisely hid her smile. "He looks like he might fall asleep right there," she commented offhandedly, but Roy knew full well what she was trying to get him to do. He picked up the kid when he needed to get him back to the boat, but there was no way in hell he'd carry a sleeping Ed back to the dorms.

"Well, we're almost there," Roy replied to her half-hidden smirk. Sure enough, headquarters was just around the corner. All but the main lights were off, signaling that everyone had gone home or gone to the dorms. Roy dragged Edward up the steps and brought him to one of the private dorms on the second level. The kid only managed to tug off his shoes before collapsing on the bed, mouth hanging open as soft snores escaped his lips. Roy set about removing anything that could possibly be used to draw or make a transmutation circle with before turning to go. A quick glance back showed that Ed had pushed up his shirt, showing his belly, his other arm spread out as far as it would go. Roy smirked and then left, locking the door behind him. Now it was time for some much needed sleep.

* * *

 **I think Ed would be frightened and/or distrustful of the military. Between Pinako and Izumi, he's had basically no good thoughts towards them. Not to mention Roy practically pointed a gun in his face, even if it was on accident.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ed bounced excitedly on the train seat. Apparently, he had only been on a train once before, and it had been a 'stinky train,' and this one was way nicer. "And they even give you food!" he exclaimed in excitement, returning to the little side table to finish up the last of the, ah, _third breakfast_ he had ordered. This kid was going to drive Roy broke before they even reached Central. And probably give himself a stomach ache in the process. How did someone so small manage to eat so much?

"Sit down," Roy told him, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. "The train's about to leave soon, you'll fall over." Yes, that's right. Ed had ordered three meals before the train had even left the station. Which meant a span of about fifteen minutes. "And stop eating so fast. You're going to make yourself sick."

Ed considered his words, shoved the last of his meal into his mouth, then sat down in the seat, chewing slowly this time. Not quite what Roy had in mind, but he supposed it was a start.

"Why do I hafta go to Central anyway?" Ed asked once he had gulped his food down. "Sensei and Al are here!"

"Who's Al?" Roy asked.

Ed froze. "Um, nothing! No one! Nevermind." He flushed bright red and crossed his arms, stubbornly looking out the window. Roy decided to drop it for now. At least he wasn't going on about his sensei anymore.

Finally, the train pulled out of the station, and Roy breathed a bit easier. Ever since that stunt Ed pulled the other night, he was half expecting the kid to run off again, and he had kept a close eye on him all morning. Fortunately, Ed hadn't tried anything else. He still was really upset that they were leaving Dublith, but he seemed to get this mindset that he'd just find his way back after they got to Central. Oh well. Eventually, he'd realize that this was for the better.

"Hey, Colonel Mustang," Ed spoke up after only a few minutes of blessed silence. "Can you take me to the big library before I go back to Dublith?"

Big library? He was probably referring to the State Library, where only very select people (State Alchemists being one) could get in. "Edward," he sighed. "You're not going back to Dublith. And no, I can't take you. I have work to do."

"Awe." Ed slumped a bit, before perking up again and adding, "And I _am_ going to go back to Dublith. I need to learn-"

"-Alchemy from your sensei," Roy finished for him. "Yes, I know."

"You're an alchemist," Ed stated. It wasn't a question. "I saw the transmutation circles on your gloves. Can I see them?" His eyes were wide with childish excitement and innocence and Roy found that he really couldn't say no. He was sure Hawkeye was smirking at him when he pulled out one of his gloves.

"Careful now," Roy warned as Ed leaped from his seat to look. "Don't activate it." The boy settled himself on his knees next to Roy, leaning forward with uncontained excitement.

"I've never seen one like this before!" Ed exclaimed. "Is it for…" He paused, eyes raking over the complex symbols and calculations. "Manipulating oxygen?" he guessed.

Roy started. "You were able to tell that just by looking at it?" he asked, surprised.

Ed nodded. "It just makes sense! With the equations I mean. Well, I don't fully understand it. It looks like you would use this to create fire, but how do you spark it?" Well...this kid was a bit of a genius.

"It's the gloves," Roy explained after getting over his momentary shock. Not even _he_ understood it that fast! And he was fifteen when he started! "They're made of pyrotex cloth, so that when I rub them together, it creates a spark."

"Cool!" Ed exclaimed. "Can I try?"

"Absolutely not!" Roy immediately snapped, taking the glove away. Ed pulled back, confusion and fear on his face. Quickly, Roy said in a calmer voice, "It's extremely dangerous, Ed. I burned myself a lot when I was first learning."

"Oh." Ed righted himself in the seat so that his legs were no longer up and sat in a bit of an awkward silence before he asked, "Do a lot of people know flame alchemy? I've never heard of it before."

"No," Roy answered. "As far as I know...I'm the only one."

"Oh," he repeated. "That's pretty cool. I bet you beat _all_ the bad guys!"

Roy held back a wince. Right. _All_ the bad guys. If only the world were so simple.

There was silence for a while. Ed sat beside him, shifting about, occasionally lifting up his head to look around, and just being fidgety in general. Finally, he huffed and crossed his little arms. "I'm bored," he declared, looking up at Roy as if he expected him to fix his problem.

Roy raised an eyebrow at him. "Then entertain yourself."

Ed frowned in thought. "Do you have any books?" This was a bit of a surprise. Not many little boys willingly read books as means of entertainment.

"The only one I have is about the theory of equivalent exchange, but-"

"I wanna read it!" Ed exclaimed excitedly.

"-it's a bit too difficult for you," Roy finished. Even he was having trouble following it at some parts. It was all theoretical speculation and half-finished hypotheses with no clear direction in where it was going. This was to be expected, of course, since it was the printed notes of an alchemist who had experimented with the law of equivalent exchange, and clearly this guy had very little organization in mind when he wrote them.

Ed shrugged. "I could understand all my dad's books and notes, and he was supposed to be a master alchemist or something." He gave Roy the puppy dog eyes and asked, "Can I read it?" Damn. There was that look again. Oh well. He'd probably read the first page before giving up on it anyway. Roy pulled the book out of his briefcase -a giant, thick text that already had annotations in the margins from his first attempt at reading it- and handed it to the eager boy. "Doctor Aldrik Gerstof," Ed read aloud before curling up on the seat and opening to the first page. Roy chuckled to himself and leaned back to enjoy the silence.

...Of course, now he had no book to read. He really should have thought this through better.

To Roy's surprise, Ed did not hand the book back after five minutes. Curious, he peeked over at the boy to see that he had his finger on one paragraph, and was using the other hand to flip back several pages to recheck something else. And then he was connecting whatever he found to one of the notes Roy made and nodded to himself, as if he had just figured something out. Roy resisted the urge to sigh. He was going to be outsmarted by a nine year old midget.

"You actually understand that?" Roy asked him, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Some of it," Ed admitted with a frown. "Your notes help. But I don't really get what he's theorizing. It all just sounds like a bunch of speculation."

"Most of it is just that," Roy explained. "These are just his notes, and his conclusions are near the end. He does go a bit into bypassing the law of equivalent exchange though."

"But that's impossible," Ed insisted.

"Not according to Dr. Gerstof."

The boy paused, probably wondering how such a thing might actually work. "What did he conclude?" he finally asked.

Roy shrugged. "He died before his research was complete. By the end, he starts to hint that he might have figured out a way, but it stops after that."

"Oh." Roy could practically see his thoughts. Isn't _that_ convenient. Or inconvenient. Whatever.

There was some silence after that, and Ed began flipping further into the book. He stopped actually reading it and instead started to simply ski\m Roy's notes, pausing to investigate further if he found something of interest. "Hey," he said after a moment, grabbing Roy's attention once more. "There's stuff about human transmutation in here!"

Roy froze. He remembered that part. He didn't think Ed would get that far, much less actually understand what it said. Why was he interested in human transmutation? "How...how do you know about that?" he asked slowly. What was up with this kid?

Ed paused, and didn't look up right away, as if he realized he said something wrong. "I read a book about it once," he answered softly. Roy was pretty good at telling lies. This one didn't quite sound like one. But he wasn't telling him everything. "It was my dad's," he added, as if that cleared everything up.

"Did your dad teach you alchemy?" Roy asked next.

"No. He left when I was really little." There was obvious resentment in his voice, and his eyes were narrowed into a glare. "I taught myself by reading all his books. Sensei was going to teach me for real."

"Well, you should leave the books on human transmutation alone," Roy told him seriously. "It's not good stuff."

Ed had an odd look on his face, as if he was contemplating something. Eventually he shrugged and said, "Okay." He then turned to a different page and continued reading.

Roy sighed for what must've been the hundredth time since finding the kid. Edward was just a little ball of headaches and work. Feeling the exhaustion of the day before settling in, Roy shifted comfortably in his seat. Maybe he'll take a nap. Hawkeye could watch the boy for him, and besides, he looked too engrossed in Dr. Gerstof's notes to run off and get into trouble. Glancing one last time at Ed, Roy let his eyes close and soon he was fast asleep.

-0-

There was a crick in his neck when Roy finally woke, as well as more than a few sore muscles from sitting in the same position too long. He was about to stretch out said sore muscles, and probably roll his head to try and ease the tension in his neck, when he felt a lump against his side. Roy looked down and noticed a... _thing_ leaning against him. A small thing. With blond hair, and little chubby legs, his chest gently rising and falling in turn to his soft snores.

Roy blinked. He heard a chuckle and looked up to see Hawkeye failing in her attempt to hide her smile. Roy scowled at her, but she simply gave him a cheeky grin in reply, her eyes alight in silent teasing. He gave her a very pointed glare, to which she simply replied with a very convincing innocent look on her face. Damn, she was never going to let him live this down.

Roy looked down at Ed again before pulling out his watch. Checking the time, he decided he better wake the boy. They'd probably be arriving soon, and he had no idea how Ed took to being woken up.

He started with a gentle shake, causing the boy to give a mumbled groan and snuggle further into his side. Roy could practically feel Hawkeye's laughing gaze.

Shaking a bit harder, Roy called out his name. "Edward. Ed you need to get up now."

"G' back t' sleep Al," Ed mumbled. "Five more minutes."

"Edward, this is Colonel Mustang. We're going to be arriving in Central soon. You need to get up."

"Mustang?" Ed lifted up his head, blinking his tired eyes and heaving a yawn. He sat himself up with a sleepy frown on his face and seemed to remember where he was.

"Who's Al?" Roy asked once he seemed a bit more awake. This was the second time he'd mentioned that name

"No one," Ed muttered, stretching and letting out another yawn. "We're almost there?" he asked, rubbing the rest of the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah, we should be there soon."

"Okay." Ed's hand brushed against the book on the seat next to him, reminding him it was still there. He picked it up and handed it back to Roy with a soft, "Thank you for letting me read it," that followed.

"I'm surprised you understood as much as you did," Roy answered, replacing it in his briefcase. He decided against bringing up human transmutation again. Hopefully, any curiosity Ed had on the subject was gone now.

Roy looked back when he was done to see that Ed had a sort of glum look on his face. His shoulders were slumped as well, and if he were any younger, he might've pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them. "Is something wrong?" Roy asked him.

Ed shook his head. "I just miss...nevermind."

Roy knew full well from his previous unanswered questions that he wouldn't get very far, so he let the matter drop. He was probably only talking about his sensei or crazy grandmother anyway.

When the train pulled into the station, Roy made sure to keep a tight hold of Edward's shoulder, keeping the boy by his side. Fortunately, he looked far too much in awe of the place to run off again. He probably had never seen a place with so many people and buildings all together, with neatly paved streets and automobiles heading in every direction. He was absolutely taken with the sights.

That is, until he turned back to the various trains and asked, "Which one goes back to Dublith?" Roy wasn't dumb enough to answer that question.

"C'mon," he said, pulling the boy to the car waiting for them. Havoc was there, leaning against the door with a cigarette between his lips and eyes closed. "Second Lieutenant!" Roy barked, and immediately the man was at attention, the cigarette falling to the floor.

"Colonel Mustang sir!" Havoc greeted, and was about to do the same for Hawkeye when he noticed Ed. He paused, his salute slipping, confusion flashing across his face. "Um, sir…"

"In," Roy said to Ed, ignoring Havoc for the time being. Ed looked even more excited to be in a car. Hawkeye got in after them, and Havoc got in the driver's seat.

"Sir, kidnapping is a serious offense," Havoc said once he started the car. He kidding, of course, but he obviously wanted to know why his superior officer had a little kid with him.

"This is Edward," Roy told him. "I...found him while searching for Shulz. On an uninhabited island. By himself."

"I would've been fine," Ed insisted, once again. "Sensei would've picked me up once the month was over. And I think I finally figured out her riddle!"

"Sir..?"

"He's just with us until I can call a social worker to come pick him up," Roy explained. He didn't get into the details of Edward's situation, concerning his 'sensei' as well as the crazy grandmother. That could wait for later.

"Um...yes sir." They reached a stop light so Havoc turned to flash Ed a quick smile. "My name is Jean," he greeted, before looking forward again to continue driving.

"I'm Ed," came the boy's reply, despite already being introduced. "What's a social worker?"

"Someone from the state," Hawkeye explained for him. "They'll figure out a place for you to go."

This didn't seem to sit well for Edward, because he frowned and looked out the window, a contemplative look on his face. If Roy didn't know any better, he'd say that the kid was planning his escape. Actually, all things considered, he could very well be doing exactly that.

The ride back to Central Headquarters was mostly in silence, Ed's brooding aura filling the car. Havoc tried to ask a few more questions from all three of them, but was met with either terse replies or stubborn silences. Hawkeye would probably explain everything in detail back at the office. For now, Roy just wanted to take a nap on his desk while she wasn't looking. Well, after he called the social worker.

Ed was still upset by the time they got back to the office. Hawkeye took him from there, keeping him occupied out with the team while Roy secluded himself in his office. He had a lot of paperwork that he missed from chasing down Shultz. Not to mention he still had to fill out his report on what happened with the rogue. And no way would Hawkeye let him leave early. Rather, he'll probably have to stay late for at least a week in order to catch up with everything. Maybe he could siphon off some of his paperwork to one of his subordinates…

Roy started with the easiest thing first and called social services. It was a bit of an awkward conversation. The woman at the other end was way too cheerful when she first picked up, and then far too sympathetic when Roy explained the situation to her, clucking things like, "Poor little boy," and "Good thing that you found him when you did!" Finally, she finished up with a promise that someone would be by to get him in a few hours and Roy was very quick to give his thanks and hang up. Hopefully, they'll send someone a bit more sensible. In the meantime, he had a very large stack of paperwork to start on. Dear god, he'd rather talk to the woman…

-0-

Riza partially blamed this on herself. After all, she probably should've warned Havoc of Ed's tendency to run off at every chance he got when he took him to the cafeteria to get some food. She knew she shouldn't get too angry with him for looking away for no more than thirty seconds. At the same time, however, how hard can it be to keep track of one kid? This was probably some sign that Riza wasn't ready to be a mother (not that she had been planning on it anytime soon). Or rather, Havoc really wasn't ready to be a father (although she knew that already). Either way, it was just one, massive headache. Again.

They had already called the front desk, and they were now on the lookout for a tiny, blond-haired boy. Riza figured that Ed would be hard pressed to transmute his way out of here like he did in Dublith. This place was a lot more secure, and someone would be bound to notice before he could finish drawing a circle. Hopefully.

"Should we tell the Colonel?" Fuery asked, looking a little nervous at the prospect.

"There's no need," Riza replied. This would just give him an excuse to not do his paperwork. "We can find him ourselves. Now, listen up." Everyone stood to attention, as if she were about to debrief them on a manhunt for a very dangerous criminal, instead of finding one boy inside Headquarters. "As far as he knows, anyone here could be looking for him. So he'll be hiding from everyone. That means we can count on him still being in the building. However, his objective is to leave and head back to the train station. Breda! You take the front entrance, make sure he doesn't slip through there. The front desk is looking out for him, but they could very easily miss him."

"Yes sir!" he saluted.

"Fuery! You take the back entrance. It's big enough that he might find it. Havoc, you have second floor, Falman you got third. I'll take the first. Remember, this kid will run at any chance. He is also quite adept at alchemy, despite his age, so be on the lookout for any transmutations."

"Yes sir!" they all chorused.

"Also-" and here, Riza blew out a sigh, "-try not to ask around too much. We don't want to...alarm anyone." They all understood the message. _Don't let everyone know we lost a little boy._

"Yes sir!" they repeated and she dismissed them. They all ran off to their respective duties, trying to keep a low profile as to prevent any awkward questions.

Riza raced to the first floor, glad to find that, at the moment, no one was around to notice her haste. She chose the first floor because Ed was most likely on that one. It had both exits, and if he did decide to transmute himself through the wall again, he wouldn't have to worry about a drop.

Starting from one end, Riza began a thorough sweep of the entire place. She didn't bother with checking most of the rooms. Ed was smart enough to not risk entering one without knowing for certain it was empty. She did realize, however, that there was one place that she couldn't really check: the bathrooms. Ed could conceivably enter any of them without raising too many eyebrows. She just had to had to hope that he considered it a bit too risky and continue on. She didn't have a legit reason to stomp into the men's restroom, and she really didn't want to have to explain herself.

Scouring the first floor of headquarters was tiresome. While most of the rooms she could bypass without bothering to check, any that had open doors or was obviously empty meant a meticulous search of the room, looking in every little nook and cranny before continuing on to the next one. Every once in awhile, she spun a story about how her nephew ran off and she couldn't find him. She got lucky on the fourth retelling.

"Small, blond kid wearing a blue shirt?" Riza had talked to this guy every now and then, but for the life of her she couldn't quite remember his name. The fact that he greeted her with a generic "Afternoon Lieutenant" after glancing at her rank told her that he forgot hers as well. That was fine by her. Just meant he couldn't go telling stories about Lieutenant Hawkeye chasing after some kid.

"Yes, that's him," she confirmed, hardly daring herself to hope that she might've caught a break.

"Yeah, I saw him maybe five minutes ago near office 118. Don't know what he was doing though."

Riza wanted to ask why he didn't, maybe, _investigate_ the strange kid who was wandering around by himself but decided to not press her luck. She thanked the man and hurried along, hoping to catch the boy before he ran off again.

Rounding the corner, Riza found Ed with his arm up to one of the walls. It took her a moment to realize that he had a pen and was trying to draw a transmutation circle, but the ink didn't seem to be working. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't notice as Riza came up right behind him and said, "That's vandalism, you know."

Ed must've jumped three feet in the air turning around. He dropped the pen in surprise and had the guiltiest look on his face. Behind him, it looked like he had just only gotten the pen to work. The mark was small enough that Riza decided she could leave it.

"Y'know, you really make my job difficult," Riza told the surprised boy, quickly grasping his shoulder before he could run off. "What were you hoping to do?" she asked as she began walking him back to the office.

"I dunno. I'd figure it out." Ed's shoulders were slumped; it seemed he was done putting up a fight. For now, at least. Honestly, his devotion was a bit surprising. Didn't he know there were other, easier ways to learn alchemy?

"You really ought to just let us handle this," Riza informed him. "I know you want to get back to this sensei of yours, but she sounds a little dangerous. You can learn alchemy somewhere else, you know. Besides, you seem to already be pretty good on your own."

"That's not it," Ed mumbled back. "I need to get back to...I just need to get back." Riza didn't press. The boy was one stubbornly locked box.

They passed by Fuery on the way back, and Riza ordered him to round everyone up. She quickly glanced at the time and saw that it had been over an hour since Mustang made the call to social services. Good thing she found Ed when she did. The social worker should be arriving soon.

Riza settled Ed back in the office, relief spreading through her that they didn't have to inform the Colonel of the situation. For one thing, he really would just use it as another distraction, and he had far too much paperwork as it was. And, of course, she knew that Mustang would never let her forget this. She didn't need to give him anything else to be smug about.

It took Fuery nearly half an hour to round up the rest of the team. It seemed Havoc had been a bit hard to locate. Why he thought the maintenance hall (which was always kept locked) was a good place to look, Riza had no idea, but the ordeal was over, and Ed was looking a bit embarrassed now. Breda and Havoc were pestering him with questions about why he ran off when the front desk called. The social worker was here.

Ed panicked. "I can't go with them!" he exclaimed, and refused to listen as Riza tried to tell him it would be fine. He shouted something like, "You don't get it!" before jumping up and racing into Mustang's office, slamming the door tight behind him.

A moment passed. Then-

"Lieutenant!" came the Colonel's voice from inside. Riza sighed to herself but entered, straightening her uniform.

"Yes sir?" She couldn't see Ed anywhere inside. That is, not until she got closer and realized he was crouched behind Mustang's desk.

The Colonel looked down at the boy hidden next to him and then back up at Riza and said, "Care to explain?"

"The social worker is here, sir," she informed him. "He doesn't want to go with them."

"Ah…" Mustang looked down at Ed again and said softly, "Edward-"

"I can't go with them!" he suddenly cried. "I have to get back to Al!"

"Well, who's Al?" Ed's mouth snapped shut, refusing to say anything else. Mustang let out a sigh. "Ed, we can't help you unless you tell us. Is Al the person who takes care of you?" He was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "But he's back in Dublith?" To this, Ed didn't answer at all. "Ed-"

"Sir-" Falman poked his head in. "The social worker." He opened the door wider to reveal a young woman with her hair up in a neat, orderly bun, matching her neat, orderly clothes and professional smile.

"Hi!" she greeted, stepping into the room. "Emily Pyne, from the state." She gestured to the identification pinned on her blouse. "I'm here for Edward?"

"He's right here," Mustang informed her, nodding to the curled up form. Emily frowned and came closer, peeking over the desk to see Ed curled up besides Mustang's legs.

"He doesn't really want to go," Riza supplied for her.

"Well, that's okay," Emily told him gently, going around to kneel next to him. Mustang scooted back in his chair and stood, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Hello Edward," Emily said gently. "I'm Mrs. Pyne. You don't have to be scared, I just want to help you."

Ed looked up at her. "Can you take me back to Dublith?"

"Is that where your family is?" Ed didn't answer, so Emily stood and offered a hand. "Well, you don't have to tell me right now if you don't want to. How 'bout you come with me so that we can get all this sorted out? And then we'll see about Dublith." This seemed to lift Ed's mood. He nodded and reached for her hand, allowing himself to he helped up. Emily nodded to Mustang and said, "You'll be sent some paperwork later. If you could just fill that out and send it back, it would be a huge help." Mustang nodded and she turned to go, Edward's hand still in her own. "Have you ever been to Central before?" she was asking him as they left. "No? Well, maybe I can take you to some of the sights while we're figuring this all out. Down on Main Street we can-" Her voice trailed off, leaving the office in its original state. Riza stared after her. That woman was good.

"Your work, sir," Riza reminded Mustang before she left. The Colonel groaned but dutifully grabbed another file from the stack. This was going to be another long day.

* * *

 **So, concerning Ed's secrecy of Al: at the moment, he still has the mindset that the military is bad, though he is starting to think that maybe some of them are alright. Even so, he understands enough of the situation that he doesn't want Al to be stuck with him in it, so his goal is to keep him a secret, at least until Izumi comes to get them and realizes he's missing.**

 **As for what actually happens to Al, I've been going back and forth a lot on whether I should include a chapter explaining that. This is primarily from Roy's point of view, but as you've seen from Riza's adventure through headquarters there are a few exceptions. Depending on your guy's feedback, I'll include an extra chapter on Al.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, so this is a bonus chapter, telling you what happened to Al after Mustang found Ed on the island. It is much shorter than the other ones, and does kinda end abruptly, but the last chapter will be up in a few days, so don't worry.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

He had been trying to restart their fire when he heard the cry of his brother. Immediately, Al was up on his feet, knife in hand as he began racing through the trees. "I have to stay here!" he heard Ed say and, for a moment, Al paused. Was he speaking to someone? Was someone else here? Sensei wasn't due for another few days. What was going on?

He crept through the underbrush, following what sounded like someone taking his brother back towards the beach. When he reached the treeline, Al froze at what he saw. There was a man in military uniform, holding Ed securely by the arm, and a woman also in uniform beside him. There was a boat half pulled up onto the beach, with an old man smoking a pipe sitting on the bench. Words were exchanged, Al couldn't quite hear, and then the man lifted Ed into the boat. He and the woman then pushed them off and jumped in as the man began rowing, taking his brother with them.

Al felt tears spring to his eyes. He desperately wanted to race out onto the beach, call for his brother, make them bring him back. But then they'd probably just take him too! Why did they want his brother anyway? Granny Pinako and Sensei both say that the military aren't anything good. He has to save his brother from them. But how?

Al was openly sobbing by the time the boat was just a small speck on the lake. He was all alone, his brother had been taken by the military, and there was nothing he could do about it. All day, he sat on the beach, his tears slowing to a trickle, his sobs becoming hiccups and then sniffles, red eyes becoming crusty as they dried and dirt smears on his cheeks.

There was a cut on his arm he got when he was running through the brush that became prominent to his senses. It was nothing more than a faint sting, so slight he really shouldn't have felt it at all. But there, sitting on the beach, the sun getting lower and lower, it was all Al could focus on. He glared at the little red line, as if it were to blame for those people taking his brother. When he realized he could no longer feel any sting, he rubbed at the cut stubbornly, pinching it with his nail until a little drop of blood appeared. It sat there, red and bright and glimmering, until eventually gravity took its effect and slowly, ever so slowly, it began to roll down his arm, coming to a stop at his elbow and staying there until Al wiped it away. He brushed away a tear from his cheek next, leaving a faint smear of red, but he didn't care.

When night fell, it was the fierce shivers that eventually drove Al to return to their little campsite. He built up the fire and huddled next to it, missing his brother's comforting presence. When he lied down and tried to sleep, all he could think was that there was absolutely no one beside him, snoring softly, mouth open and his shirt probably pushed up. It was the first time in his life he'd ever had to sleep without Ed.

Al wasn't sure if he ever actually fell asleep or not, but he did not rise until his stomach was screaming at him to do so. They still had some nuts they had collected the day before, which he ate half-heartedly. Wearily, he grabbed the knife and approached the tree where they had marked their days. After making another notch, he very slowly counted the days, counting each line individually rather than going by fives. Twenty-seven. Yesterday was twenty-seven. So, today included, he had three more days. And then Sensei would come. And then maybe _she_ could rescue Ed. Al hoped she wouldn't be mad that he didn't complete her test. It wasn't his fault. The mean military people did it.

The thought that Sensei would fix everything cheered Al a bit. Of course, he wasn't sure if she would, but if anyone _could_ do it, it was her. He hoped Ed was alright, wherever he was. He didn't think the military would mistreat him, but then again, he had no idea why they took him in the first place. Al spent a lot of time thinking about that, but still came up with nothing.

He went fishing, because it was the only way he could get food and still let his mind wander. A part of Al wanted to go running through the trees, chasing down a rabbit to at least take his mind off his brother. But at the same time, he just wanted to sit and mope and hope that Ed would magically return, a grin on his face and an amused twinkle in his eye. "What, you didn't think I was gone for good, eh?" But that wasn't going to happen and Al knew it, so he went about the day, trying to make it pass as fast as possible, but it was probably one of the longest days of his life.

The next one was no better. Long and dull and alternating between Al trying to keep his mind off Ed and sitting on the beach and staring out at the waves, a million thoughts racing through his head. Silently, he sent out a wish of well-being for his brother, wherever he was, whatever he might be doing, and prayed for him to return, whole and unharmed and a story or two to tell.

Finally-it felt like forever-the third day rolled around. Al waited by himself on the beach, relief spreading through him when he spotted the little boat on the water, waiting anxiously as it slowly approached. The moment Sensei's feet were on the sand Al was running toward her, tears coming once more to his eyes. He threw himself at her and she caught him with surprise, her mask of angry indifference melting away to worry.

"Al? Al, what's wrong? Where's Ed? Al?" She pulled him away so that she could kneel down to his level, her hands on his shoulders as he managed to quiet himself to whimpers.

"There were these people," he hiccuped, rubbing away the tears from one eye. "They were wearing military clothes, and I don't know who they were or what, but the man had Ed and put him in the boat, and then they went away." He sniffed as his bottom lip trembled, threatening more tears.

Sensei's eyes widened. "How long ago?" she asked, harsh, but Al knew it was because she was just as worried as he was.

"Th-three days," he replied wiping the snot that was running from his nose and holding back another sob.

Sensei nodded, a look of purpose in her eyes. "Alright Al," she told him gently. She glanced up at her husband, who nodded, and she stood. "Come on. I'll find Ed. Don't worry." She helped him into the boat and pushed them off, holding him close as he let the tears from the past two days fall. "Don't worry," she repeated, stroking his hair. "I'll find him."

A day and a half later, a very angry, thoroughly upset Izumi Curtis barged into the office of one Colonel Roy Mustang, the man who, according to his file, was in Dublith just a few days ago, and apparently left with a certain someone in his care.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is the final chapter of my little story here. I hope you all enjoyed my shameless fluff. For the sake of the story I tried to keep it in Roy's point of view as much as possible, so that you understand his thought process without any outside influence making you think if his decisions are good or bad. But, I digress. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Roy really didn't understand why he needed to fill out paperwork about what happened. He already told the social services all about it on the phone. And answered their numerous questions. Did he really have to put it all down in writing as well? But he had made it his priority when the files came in. Not because he thought that the people down at social services really needed this right away, but more because it was different from what he normally filled out, and therefore mildly more interesting. He was actually going through it fairly quickly. He already explained everything over the phone with the social worker a few days ago, and then Hughes found out about what happened and he had to explain it again, and there was, of course, the questions from his subordinates who wanted to hear over and over how their Colonel let a little boy fall asleep against him (damn Hawkeye for telling them about that). Hughes, in his typical Hughes fashion, instantly translated this to mean that Roy was ready to be a father, and therefore ready to marry, and therefore...should get married. Roy remained unamused.

Anyway, the disgruntled Colonel had retold what happened enough times that the paperwork wasn't too difficult (paperwork was never actually that difficult to begin with, just exceedingly boring). He was halfway through when his door was very rudely kicked open, and in stomped a very angry looking woman with long, black dreadlocks and...were those house slippers? Something here didn't match. That, and the fact that Hawkeye was trailing behind her looking bewildered but not alarmed kept Roy from reaching for his gun. Or his gloves.

"Are you Roy Mustang?" the woman demanded, arms crossed.

Roy shot Hawkeye a questioning look, and she only shrugged in reply. She had no idea what was going on either. "Colonel Roy Mustang," he answered. "And you are..?"

"You're the one who took my kid?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Roy frowned, his confusion growing. "What kid?"

"Ed," she replied. "Short, blond, annoying. Al says you were the one who took him."

"Um…" Roy collected himself and made a guess. "Yes, I found him on an island. By himself. He said his 'sensei' put him there." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that you?"

"Ed was fine," she brushed off. "What did you do with him?"

Roy decided he didn't like this woman. "The social services came to get him," he explained. "They'll either find his family or find a home for him." He meant to make it clear to the woman that he wouldn't be in her hands anymore. But she simply nodded and muttered, "Resembool," under her breath and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Roy called after her, and she paused. "Just who are you? Why would you leave a kid on an island for a month?"

The woman laughed. "Like I said, Ed was fine! My sensei left _me_ up in Briggs and I survived! As for who I am…" She smirked. "Just a passing housewife!" And then she was gone, stomping out just as loudly as she came.

"Lieutenant," Roy sighed. "Who let her in?"

"According to the front desk, a very sweet woman came in claiming to have an appointment with you," Hawkeye explained. "She came in here before I could question her."

"Right, well, if you see her again, don't let her in."

"Yes sir." Hawkeye then left, leaving behind a quick reminder to do his work. Roy eyed his stack of paperwork and pushed it aside for now. The whole week had just been one long day after another. He tried his best to think that just last today, and tomorrow, and then it would be the weekend, but that seemed so far away.

Roy considered taking a nap when it suddenly occurred to him that the woman had mentioned someone named Al. A name Ed had repeated a few times. And, it seemed that it was this Al person who informed the woman who took Ed. Al wasn't on the island, was he? He supposed Ed might've lied about being alone, but then why would this Al person be there too? Maybe he just saw him after Ed ran away that night? That was possible, though there were still a few things that didn't make sense. He supposed it didn't matter though. If Al was a relative or guardian, then the social services would take care of it. And maybe they'd find the woman as well, and deal with her appropriately. That is, if she didn't glare them into oblivion first. For now, a nap sounded nice. Hawkeye wouldn't come in for at least another hour. He could get away with a quick snooze…

-0-

It was late. Late enough that all the other boys were sleeping peacefully, some making night noises, some silent, others muttering things from their dreams. Ed didn't like it. He was used to only one person sleeping beside him, only one rhythmic pattern of breathing that he was so used to he could almost imagine it now. If only the other boys weren't so loud.

Ed missed Al. This was the first time he had ever been away from his little brother for more than a few hours. He hoped he was doing okay. Sensei should have gotten him by now, which meant that she knew he was missing. He hoped she found him, because he wasn't so sure he could find her anymore.

Mrs. Pyne had been nice. Ed had liked her. When she asked him questions, it was only so she could 'figure this out.' He knew that she was just doing her job. He knew that these things had a lot of paperwork involved, and maybe even extra paperwork since it was the military who found him. But he figured that once everything was all sorted, that he'd be sent back to Granny Pinako. She was his legal guardian, after all (at least, he thought she was, since she was the one who watched over him and Al). But then Mrs. Pyne went to Resembool by herself. She said she wanted to interview Granny Pinako. He didn't understand why. He didn't understand why he couldn't go home yet.

Still, Ed trusted Mrs. Pyne. She told him a lot that everything was going to turn out alright, and he believed her. She hadn't brought up Al yet, and he wondered if she had him in all those files of hers. He hoped to keep Al out of it. He could just wait for him with Sensei.

Mrs. Pyne got back the next day and explained some things to him. Stuff about how old Granny Pinako was, that her son and daughter-in-law were dead, that it was tough work for someone her age to raise two kids (Ed refrained from telling her that she was raising _three_ kids, and seemed to be doing a fine job of it. Her age didn't stop her from yelling about how short he was- which he wasn't!). Mrs. Pyne talked for a long time about it, but eventually Ed understood what she was saying: Granny Pinako wasn't allowed to take care of him anymore. She used fancy words for it. She took too long in explaining, hoping to distract Ed from the reality of the situation. But he understood perfectly. And he began to wonder why he should just automatically trust adults.

Everyone was asleep. Nobody noticed when Ed silently got out of bed and glided across the boy's dorms. The people here were nice enough. They treated him well and gave him food and a place to sleep, and none of the other boys or girls were mean to him. He probably would be grateful, if his situation really were as everyone thought. But it wasn't. And he needed to get back to Al.

It was easy enough to slip outside. None of the adults were on guard; it's not like they were expecting any of the children to run away. No one had a place to run away to. But Ed did. So he went off into the night, heading for what he hoped was the direction of the train station. Everything was so big here, so confusing. The streets were labeled, except that didn't help because he didn't even know which one he wanted. Between the drive from the station to headquarters, and then from there to the home, Ed was completely turned around.

Eventually, he climbed up the fire escape to get to the top of a building in order to get a good look at the city. He couldn't spot the train station, but he did spot headquarters. It was big enough that he could just see it over the top of the building in front of him. He decided to head that way. He knew Colonel Mustang was the one who gave him to the social services in the first place, but he was just doing his job. And maybe if Ed explained who Al was, and why he needed to get back so bad, then he'd understand. It was his only option at this point. Colonel Mustang and Riza seemed nice enough, even though they kept chasing after him. And if they wouldn't help, then he'd just have to run away again and find his way back to Dublith on his own.

By the time he reached headquarters, it was still about an hour or so until dawn. He didn't know what time people usually came in for work, so he supposed he'd just have to wait. Finding himself a bench, Ed sat down and huddled up against himself. It was colder here than it was in Resembool or Dublith. He was farther north, so that was to be expected, but he didn't think the nights would be this cold even near the end of summer. Eventually, his eyes drooped, exhausted from his little adventure, and soon he was fast asleep, snoring softly.

-0-

Roy thought all the craziness was over. He really thought that his part was all over and done with, and he could just forget about it and go on with his work. The paperwork was finished, the woman from the other day seemed to be long gone, and Ed was safely in the hands of the social services. It should have been over.

And then Hughes came marching in, grinning widely, and towing a very sleepy and very confused looking Ed behind him. "Roy!" he greeted with far too much cheer. "Look who I found outside! He was sleeping on a bench!" Ed yawned and rubbed one eye, the other hand firmly in the grip of Hughes. Well...Roy's entire week had been one agonizingly long day after another, might as well finish it off with one more.

"Ed…" he started, not sure what to do. He was thinking of grabbing the phone right now and calling social services, but decided against it. "What are you doing here?"

Ed finally seemed to be waking up. He looked up at Hughes, who only smiled broadly at him and nudged him forward. He then looked back to Roy. That's when his bottom lip stuck out and began to tremble. Uh-oh. "Mrs. Pyne said that I had to be taken away from Granny Pinako," he finally said. "She said that she was a bad guardian for letting me go with a strange woman...and that she was getting too old to take care of me and Winry...and now Winry might get taken away too!"

"Who's Winry?" Roy asked. A sister?

Ed sniffed, wiping his nose. "She's my friend. Granny Pinako is her grandmother. And she's not too old! She still makes all sorts of automail and me and Winry are fine."

Roy looked to Hughes in alarm. What was he supposed to do now? "Um, Ed-"

"And Mrs. Pyne won't let me go back to Dublith either. I couldn't tell her why though, because then I'd have to tell her about Al, and then he might get taken too."

"Ed," Roy spoke, "Who is Al?"

Another sniff. "He's my little brother. We were going to learn alchemy from Sensei together. But then you came and he was all alone on the island for a few days! I hope he's okay. B-but I have to go back! And I can't let Mrs. Pyne take Al away too. I…" He looked away shyly, eyes a little red and nose runny. "I don't know how to get back to the train station. I could only find here."

Ah. So he was asking for help. And he looked really scared too. Roy thought he understood why now. He wondered how the fact that Ed had a brother was completely overlooked by the social services. Maybe even here in Central they were a bit disorganized. Granted, they were from Resembool, where they probably don't even have a file.

"Why don't you sit down," Hughes said to Ed. He wasn't smiling anymore, but had taken on a look that Roy had never seen before. He would later come to recognize it as his 'fatherly' look. "It's okay," he said as a few tears fell from Ed's eyes. "We'll make sure you get back to your brother. Are you hungry? How 'bout I go grab you some breakfast. Then maybe you can take a nap here, and we'll sort all this out." Ed nodded and laid down on the couch, curling in on himself. Hughes gave Roy a significant look and then left to get the promised breakfast. Great.

A lot of things made sense now. And now Roy had to decide how he wanted to approach this. By law, he should probably contact social services and let them know where Ed was. Also tell them about Al, and get him away from that sensei of there's. Except…

Roy understood that sometimes the 'right' answer wasn't always the 'best' answer. First of all, if social services got their hands on Al, then there could very well be the chance that the brothers would get separated. Without even having to ask, Roy knew that that would crush Ed. Probably the brother as well. There'd probably be more cases of running away in the future.

And then there was this Pinako lady. From what he could tell, she wasn't really Ed's grandmother, probably just a family friend who took him in after his parents died. Ed never talked about her in length, but he looked absolutely defeated now, after finding out he was being taken from her. So maybe his living situation wasn't ideal. But Roy hadn't exactly had a perfect, kid-friendly environment growing up either. Hell, he was basically raised in a bar. That didn't mean Madam Christmas wasn't a good mother to him. He couldn't ask for anyone better. Maybe it was something of the same thing.

And, finally, the sensei. He remembered her words as she left, that _she_ had been left up in Briggs, and yet she turned out fine. Alchemy masters never taught in any kind of 'traditional' way. Roy himself remembered some of the things his master had him do. So, maybe he didn't fully approve of that woman's way of teaching, but…

Ed had fallen asleep in the couch. His legs were stretched out now, his mouth hung open and one hand had pushed up his shirt to reveal his stomach. There was a tear streak running down one cheek, but otherwise it looked like all signs of distress were gone. He looked like any normal kid, exhausted after having a long day of running around and laughing.

Hughes came back in, a bag of food with him. He set it down on the coffee table, and its smells seemed to be slowly waking Ed back up. "Well?" he asked, turning to Roy. "Did you make a decision?"

Roy sighed and reached for the phone. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you planned this." Hughes laughed as he dialed social services, cringing when that overly cheery woman was the one to answer. "Hi, this is Colonel Roy Mustang. I wanted to talk about Ed."

He could hear the smile drop from the woman's face through the phone. "Very, terribly sorry Mr. Mustang, but I'm afraid Edward is missing! He seemed to have slipped away during the night and-"

"Calm down, it's okay," Roy assured her. "Ed's with me, he's fine. I'm just calling to let you know that there was a mix up with some papers. Turns out he already has a legal guardian after all."

"He does? Why didn't our records show that?"

"Like I said, just a big mix up. Resembool is a pretty small place and all, and it looks like it just got lost in all the other files. Not to worry." Hughes was chuckling softly and Roy waved him off. Ed had woken up by now, and was digging into the breakfast. "Ed himself was really confused on the whole thing, didn't really get what was going on. I'm sure that grandmother of his was confused as well."

"Oh my, well Emily did say that Miss Pinako was a bit odd when she interviewed her. Well, we'll have to sort all this out. We'll come get Edward and-"

"Oh, no need," Roy brushed her off. "Ed got really scared last night about the whole thing, that's why he came here. It's no problem that he stays here until his guardian comes to get him. I've already spoken with her." Not even a lie. "But I could use the number of the grandmother. Just let her know what's going on, so that she doesn't worry herself over nothing."

"Right, right, of course! One second, let me just find it- Ah, here it is!" She gave him the number and Roy thanked her, just barely managing to keep up his polite tone long enough to say goodbye and then hang up. Hughes laughed at the groan he let out once the phone was back on its receiver.

"Oh, shut up," Roy muttered as he picked the phone back up and dialed the second number. It rang a few times before he heard the click and a young voice appeared on the other end.

"Hello, this is Rockbell Automail." It sounded like a little girl. "How may I help you?"

"Um, hi," Roy answered awkwardly. He was officially done with kids. "My name is Colonel Roy Mustang and-"

"You're the one who took Ed away!" the little girl suddenly shouted. Damn, how could such a small voice be so loud? "His teacher is here, she told us what happened! And then this lady came and talked to granny for a long time and then she said that she was 'unfit to take care of Ed' and it's all your fault!" She was shouting loud enough that Roy held it a bit from his ear, and Hughes overheard. He started laughing again.

"Winry?" Ed looked up from his meal and sprinted to the phone. He grabbed it out of Roy's hand and shouted happily, "Winry! It's me! Ed! It's okay! Colonel Mustang is going to help!"

Roy could just barely hear the girl's answer of, "Ed! I'm so glad you're okay!" He chuckled at the blush that appeared on the boy's cheeks.

"Yeah, well, I think everything's okay now," Ed answered in response to whatever Winry asked. He looked up to Roy for confirmation and he nodded. "No, Al should be with Sensei...WHAT?! She's there? Is everything okay?" He paused to listen, nodding along to whatever she was saying.

"Ed," Roy interrupted. "I need to talk to your grandmother. Can I have the phone back please?"

"Okay. Colonel Mustang says he needs to talk Granny Pinako. Is she there?" Ed paused a moment then handed the phone over.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is Pinako Rockbell," came an older, clearly disgruntled voice. "And you're the one who made this whole mess?"

"Apologies, ma'am," Roy told her as politely as possible. "Just a big misunderstanding. I hope you understand that I didn't know what to think, finding Ed on a random island like that."

"Right, right. Well, what do you want now?"

"Well, Ed's with me right now. I've cleared everything up with social services, so they won't be bothering you anymore."

"Hm, I guess you're not too bad then," the old woman considered. "Alright, I'll-"

There was a bit of shouting from the other end, and suddenly a familiar voice filled the speaker. "You have my kid?" It was that woman again.

"Yes, he's right here with me."

"Good. Next train leaving Resembool is tomorrow morning. I'll come pick him up tomorrow."

Roy considered it for a moment, but then frowned. "Ah, actually, tomorrow's Saturday, I'm off. I'll meet you at the station. What time does your train arrive in Central?"

There was a pause, probably her checking, and then, "Six. You better be there."

"I'll be there. See you then Miss...ah, what was your name again?"

Roy could practically hear the smirk through the phone. "Just a passing housewife! See you tomorrow, Colonel Mustang!" And then she hung up. Ed looked up at him expectantly.

"Don't worry, your teacher's coming to get you tomorrow," Roy informed him, and a huge grin broke out across his face.

"Thanks Colonel Mustang!" he shouted excitedly, before hurrying back to finish his breakfast. Jeez that kid could eat. Beside him, Hughes laughed.

"What?" Roy asked, looking up at him.

"Ah, you'll just figure it out later," Hughes assured him. Roy had no idea what he meant, and he didn't get a chance to ask because in the next moment he was saying to Ed, "Hey, you want to see pictures of my wife? She's the most beautiful girl on the entire planet! Look, see how her eyes sparkle!"

Ed frowned at the picture. "My mom was prettier," he loudly declared, and then promptly returned to eating. Roy laughed out loud at that.

-0-

Ed was kept occupied most of the day by either Hughes or Roy's team. He made a lot of paper creations using alchemy, and very soon he had no less than twenty swans piled on his desk (everyone else had just as many). About once an hour or every other hour, Ed would loudly declare that he was hungry again, and someone would eagerly offer to take him down to the cafeteria. Damn kid kept distracting his subordinates from their work. On the plus side, he gave Roy an excuse to ignore his paperwork every now and then. He knew Hawkeye didn't approve, but there wasn't very much she could about it at this point.

At some point during the day, after Hughes had officially left to do his own work, Roy was suddenly hit with a horrifying revelation: Ed needed a place to stay tonight. He began scanning through his subordinates, wondering which one could take him. Fuery, Falman, and Breda all lived in the military dorms, marking them out. Havoc had his own place, but...well, in Roy's opinion, Havoc was the last person he'd entrust the care of a young child to. That left Hawkeye. She could do it. Ed was more familiar with her, she was probably the most responsible out of all of them, and she had her own apartment. Yes, he'd get Hawkeye to do it. Problem solved.

"Sorry sir," Hawkeye told him, not sounding apologetic at all. "I have a friend visiting town this weekend, I can't." Her lip twitched as she added, "He'll just have to stay with you."

Roy glowered at her. "Hughes planned this, didn't he?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about sir."

Roy heaved a dramatic sigh. So this is what Hughes was talking about. "Fine," he groaned, and turned to the boy. "Ed," he called. He looked up from where he had been drawing another transmutation circle. "Come on. It's time to go."

"Are we gonna get dinner?" he asked as he came over. "I'm starving!"

"Of course you are. Let's go."

"Am I gonna get to ride in a car again? Can I drive? Can we visit the library? Can-" Roy shot Hawkeye a withering look as he left, Ed's supply of questions neverending. How did anyone handle this kid?

The drive home was a bit awkward. Roy had never really been alone with the boy, and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He wasn't even sure if he was supposed to let him sit in the front seat. Oh well. If he got stopped by a cop he'd just pull out his military I.D. He was sure they'd let him pass.

Roy didn't have very much food stocked at home. He usually just kept the essentials, and when he was in the mood for something a bit nicer he would go out to eat. Since Ed could probably eat half the restaurant and then some, he decided against that idea, and threw together whatever he could find in his icebox. Spaghetti, chicken, and some questionable looking carrots.

"Um, what do you want to drink?" Roy asked when the food was about done. He didn't have much for kids. Mostly just water and...water. He did have a bit of milk left from breakfast. Everything else was alcohol

Ed made a very descriptive face when he spotted the milk. "I'll just have water," he grumbled.

Roy grinned to himself. "Don't like milk?" he asked casually, closing the icebox.

Ed made another face and shook his head.

"Why not? Milk is good for you. Helps you grow," he added with an innocent smirk.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL I'D DROWN IN THE MILK CARTON?!"

"I...didn't say that." Roy wasn't sure if he should laugh or be concerned. He decided that maybe he should leave the milk alone for now. And not mention his height. This was hard enough as it is.

Fortunately, Ed seemed to forget about the whole thing quickly enough, especially once dinner was ready. Roy didn't have to worry about leftovers. Ed ate everything he didn't.

Roy cleaned up once he was done and was worried that he'd have to entertain the kid until he went to sleep. And that just brought up another question: when should he make him go to bed? Should he even give him a bedtime? Was he already at an age where he could decide his bedtime for himself? Was Roy overthinking this? Probably.

It turned out that he was worrying over nothing. Once Roy finished cleaning up, he discovered Ed curled up on his couch, a book he had taken down from the shelf in his hands, reading contently. Two hours later, Roy came to check up on him, and he was fast asleep, the book forgotten on the floor and, once more, his shirt pushed up to reveal his tummy. Immensely glad that no one was there to witness it, Roy hoisted the boy up and carried him to the guest room. He pulled off his shoes and socks and then pulled the covers up to his chest. It occurred to Roy that he was tucking Ed in. He thanked whatever power there was that Hughes wasn't there to see it. He'd never hear the end of it.

Roy stayed up for a few hours more, had a glass of whiskey and read a few chapters of a book before going to bed himself. By the time morning rolled around, he completely forgot about his house guest.

-0-

Roy could barely see. He thought it might be because his eyes hurt a bit. They were stuck. Did he forget to close the shades? Nope, no. _Thump, thump-_ it was knocking. Why knock, he had a doorbell! Ugh, this was gonna be one of those days. Maybe Hawkeye was knocking. Maybe he had fallen asleep at his desk again. No, no, there was something wrong with that...

With a jolt, Roy fully woke, eyes snapping open and hand instinctively reaching for the gun under his pillow. Another moment passed and he groaned, pulling himself up and rubbing his face. And then the knocking again.

That was weird. It wasn't coming from his front door, but his bedroom door. That probably should've alarmed him, but for some reason, it seemed okay. He felt like he was missing something…

Roy opened the door and was met with a mop of blond hair, arm raised to knock again. "Finally!" Ed exclaimed, far too loud. How early was it? "I've been knocking for forever! I'm hungry!"

Blinking a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes, Roy moved past him and headed for the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the way. Just past seven. Why did this kid wake up so early?

Ed was a loud morning person. Roy was not. He usually didn't say a word until he had his cup of coffee. He went to start his brew before getting breakfast. In his books, coffee was the most important meal of the day.

Roy pulled the egg carton out of the icebox and got a pan from the cupboard. "How many?" he mumbled, grabbing a bowl to beat the eggs in.

"Six!" Ed answered, opening a random cupboard and discovering, to his delight, a box of cookies. "Ooh!" He reached for them, but Roy slapped his hand away.

"Can't have cookies for breakfast," he muttered, cracking something like ten eggs into a bowl and beating it ruthlessly. He grabbed a couple slices of bread from his breadbox and popped them into the toaster before pouring the eggs into the pan.

"Can we have cookies for dessert then?" Ed asked, opening another cupboard and finding a small collection of spices and herbs that Roy really didn't know how to use.

"Maybe after lunch." Roy had no intention of doing so, but hopefully he'd forget by then. He nodded to one of the bottom cupboards and asked, "Can you grab some plates?"

Ed opened it and pulled out two plates. In the drawer above it, he discovered the silver ware and got some forks. Roy dumped the eggs on the settings, making sure Ed got the larger pile and then went to grab the toast. He poured himself a cup of coffee, already feeling better at just the smell.

Conversation was kept up by Ed. He kept on chatting about this or that, but Roy was barely listening. His coffee hadn't come soon enough. At some point he realized he had eaten some of his breakfast, but it looked like Ed had stolen his slice of toast. Oh well. He didn't care that much. The coffee hadn't quite kicked in yet, and Ed was chatty. He had thought he would get to sleep in today, so he went to bed late. Roy was currently regretting everything.

Eventually, Roy felt himself awake enough to listen to what Ed was saying. Which turned out to be something about alchemy. What was he supposed to do with this kid until six? That was when he remembered something. Something he had been asked a few times.

"Hey Ed," he said, cutting the boy off. "How 'bout I take you to the State Library while we wait for you teacher?"

Ed's eyes lit up. "Really? Awesome! I bet it has a lot of cool books on alchemy!"

"Yeah, well, we can get going soon. Just let me finish my cup of coffee and I'll go get dressed."

Ed frowned. "But you just finish-" Roy stood and poured himself another cup. He realized as he sat back down that Ed was in the same clothes as yesterday, also the same ones he slept in.

"Do you have a change of clothes Ed?" Roy asked.

"Well, I got some in Dublith since my other ones were all dirty and ripped, and then the people at the home gave me some, but I didn't take any with me. So no. But that's okay!" he added quickly. "All my clothes are back in Dublith anyway. I don't mind."

Roy nodded slowly. He was fine with that. He really didn't want to go shopping. He'd just stick Ed in the library and then...well, what could he do? Would it be okay for him to leave Ed by himself for a few hours? How did this kind of thing usually work?

With a sigh, Roy downed the last few sips of his coffee and stood. Ed, who had been waiting at the table, stood excitedly. "Relax, kid. Still gotta change." He glanced at the kitchen and added, "And clean up. But, if you want things to go faster, then you could wash the dishes for me."

Ed looked at the sink, then at the pan and their plates, and shrugged. "Okay." Well, Roy hadn't actually expected that to work. Shaking his head in amusement, he went to change into some proper clothes all while wondering if he could leave Ed at the library while he ran a few errands. He supposed just for a few hours wouldn't be too bad.

-0-

Roy was regretting a lot of things. Some of them had absolutely nothing to do with the situation. His biggest regret at the moment was leaving Ed alone at the library. According to the librarian, he hadn't left yet -she would've noticed. But Roy had searched all over and couldn't seem to find Ed. He didn't think he ran away again, not when he knew he was going back to his sensei soon. But Roy wouldn't put it past him to forget and just wander off.

It took him an hour. An entire hour for him to finally find that blasted boy. The kid was curled up in one of the bookshelves. Why the hell was he in a bookshelf? When Roy finally found him, he looked a little surprised to find himself there.

"Why are you in a bookshelf?" Roy demanded. "I've been looking for you for over an hour!"

"Um…" Ed's brow furrowed in thought. "I think...I found a book and I sat on the floor to read it, but then I got uncomfortable and I just, kinda...well, I wanted to lean against something. I think. I don't know, I was reading." He looked a little sheepish, and if Roy hadn't been looking for him for an hour, he might've found the situation funny.

"Well, c'mon. It's time for lunch."

"Oh…" He looked regretful to leave the library.

"What, aren't you hungry?" From Roy's experience, the boy was always hungry.

"I kind of forget to eat when I read for a long time," Ed explained. He picked up the large tome he had been reading and found the spot where it belonged. "But yeah, I'm hungry." He replaced the book and grinned up at him. "Starving actually!"

"Yeah, thought so," Roy muttered to himself, leading the boy out and taking him to a small cafe across the street. It was sounding a bit overused now, but it really was going to be a long day.

-0-

"Which train is she on?" Ed asked excitedly, craning his neck to try and spot his teacher.

"I'm not sure, but she should be here," Roy answered. It was already twenty past six, and he had hoped she would call if they were delayed. Hopefully, she wasn't trying to call him now.

Roy kept glancing around, and at every new train arrival he carefully watched the exiting passengers to try and spot a pale woman with black dreadlocks. Ed spotted her first. Roy was fairly certain he just recognized her slippers from all the other feet, but he refrained from commenting in case he took it as another short joke.

"Sensei!" Ed called loudly, grabbing the woman's attention. She spotted them and made her way over, a pleasant smile on her face. She didn't look much like the angry woman Roy met a few days ago.

Ed ran to her, and she knelt to give him a hug. "Sorry I left the island early," he said, but was hushed.

"It's fine Ed. Did you solve my riddle?"

He nodded. "I think so."

"Good. We'll talk about it on the train." She stood and turned to Roy. "Colonel Mustang," she greeted with a nod. "Thanks for watching my kid. I guess you lot aren't all bad."

"Just trying to help Miss...um, I suppose you'll tell me you're just a housewife again?"

The woman laughed. "Izumi," she greeted. "Izumi Curtis. And hey, if you're ever in Dublith-"

"Don't visit?" Roy guessed.

"Right you are," she agreed with a nod. A whistle blew and she glanced up. "Well, if we're going to make the next train we've got to go. Thanks again," she added to Roy.

"Bye Colonel Mustang!" Ed called as Izumi led him away. He watched until they were on the train before leaving. Once out of the station, he felt a relaxed sigh escape his lips. Finally, that was all over. With a yawn, Roy decided to head home and take a nap. That sounded nice. And then he'd eat those cookies. And, hey, if Ed discovered one of said cookies later in his pocket, well he probably just stole it when Roy wasn't looking.


End file.
